Stuff the Zuda Ballot Box

Zuda Comics logo

I’m sure everyone who has a webcomic strip in competition at Zuda has at various times encouraged their friends (and mailing lists) to vote for them. However, this is the highest-profile attempt to swamp the voting that I’ve seen: Valerie at Occasional Superheroine wants everyone to vote for Action, Ohio.

In the post (link no longer available), she says it’s also about figuring out how much influence her blog has; later, in the comments, she says “vote Zuda” isn’t a story, but that she’s doing this as a way to turn Neil Kleid (the writer of Action, Ohio)’s huge get-out-the-vote campaign into a story. (Odd, then, that it takes 7 comments for that to show up.) Then she calls it a “social experiment”.

Zuda Comics logo

Me, I’d like to hear more about this campaign — how do Kleid’s attempts differ from others? Are there unusual techniques he’s using others can learn from? If it’s only in scope, how did he build a larger group of contacts? Do his years slogging away at minicomics make a difference?

Update: Valerie has just put up a very similar post (link no longer available) for Hannibal Goes to Rome.



6 comments

  • neil kleid

    Honestly? I did not ask Val to do that but appreciate the gesture. I think she’s doing it to see how much influence her blog posters can have on the contest. All I’VE been doing for this is what I usually do – send emails, post blogs, make people aware of the comic, much as I’ve done with any comic book I’ve ever written.

    The things I have been doing is taking advantage of facebook and myspace, building a large contact group and beginning a chain reaction via my contacts out – email two friends, have them email two friends and more. I’ve tried the usual routes – contests and interviews (I have one going on Newsarama, one in the Daily Oklahoman).

    I think the thing that might help me is having more professional contacts with existing fanbases who can do the same in getting the word out.

    Do my minicomic years make a difference? Only in that I’m used to promoting myself and utilizing the internet communities to do so.

    Thanks for asking – and VOTE ACTION, OHIO!

  • This reminds me of the reaction last week to a person who was trying to convince readers to pick up a Superman issue his friend had written. He also beg retailers to not return copies of the book back. By doing these things, you would strike a blow for a little guy. The reaction however was not positive. People were upset because they felt that the person already had gotten a decent promotion by having their story printed in a superman book with an alex ross cover and wondered why this person deserved a push over anyone else who may already be talented.

    The votes on Zuda are slipping drastically. It seems that Val is possibly trying to get her fanbase to visit the website and get Zuda from stuttering.

    I wish they would change the interface so I could read some of their comics.

  • The interface is the biggest problem, I think. I was asked to review one of the longer-running strips, and I had to beg off because I can’t get through them all on my computer.

    I do wonder how long Zuda will continue in the present fashion, because attention naturally drops off without something to re-energize viewers. And it makes sense that Valerie would be interested, since her boyfriend’s strip was the first winner.

  • When we were campaigning we caught a lot of flack for our MySpace Comics endorsement.

    You’d be surprised what you can get from people by being nice and just asking.

    Good luck to Neil and Paul.

  • David Gallaher

    And it makes sense that Valerie would be interested, since her boyfriend’s strip was the first winner.

    Or, you know, it could be just becuase she likes the strips and the talents involved ;-)

  • True, true, David, but I do think readers should know about that connection. :)

    Johnny, yes, few people think to ask — and then they get mad that other people did and got it instead of them!

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